A/N: Thank you so much for your lovely reviews, it's so nice to hear your thoughts and your kind words. I will be going away for a few days, which is why I haven't had the time to answer your comments and pm's yet. I will as soon as I get back, and I will bring my computer so I can post the rest of the chapters =) Shamy ftw!

- YlvaB


It was strange how nobody had forced their thoughts and advice on him. Sheldon had expected Amy to call Penny to form a female alliance against him and have her stomp her Nebraskan man feet over to his apartment to tell him to… to something that men were apparently expected to do in these situations.

But Penny did no such thing and Sheldon couldn't help but wonder why. He hadn't looked himself in the mirror ever since he came home from that disastrous dinner, but if he had he would have been mortified at the sight. There was no way for him to know that Penny had indeed intended to give him a piece of her mind but had been so shocked at how terrible he looked that she couldn't bring herself to yell at him. Instead she had just softly patted his cheek and gone back to her apartment, and Sheldon hadn't heard from her since. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around him: Leonard was uncharacteristically quiet, Penny and Bernadette had withdrawn to the former's untidy lair to indulge in pinot noir and girly tittle-tattle, and his other friends Howard and Raj cracked jokes he didn't understand or care for only to return to that realm whose sole inhabitants were the two of them and to which no one else had access.

He hadn't communicated with Amy for three days, which was probably for the better. If she had called he wouldn't have known what to say. What was there to say? She had left him. She had called him out on all sorts of short-comings: his refusal to engage in coitus with her. His refusal to share living quarters with her. His refusal to discuss the possibility of them procreating and joining in matrimony. She was asking an awful lot this woman! Wasn't he the one who had spent two days carefully drawing up an extensive Relationship Agreement as proof of their union? Wasn't he the one who had dropped his principles about hygiene and cleanliness and allowed her to press her lips against his on a regular basis as proof of their mutual care for one another? He bought her gifts and held her hand and comforted her when she was sad and listened to her silly complaints about that pretty girl at work who flirted with all the male scientists, and he had even agreed to never hold her pre-menstrual outbursts against her.

He picked at his salad, regarding the cubes of cheese and the cherry tomatoes unenthusiastically, unaware that he was being watched. As he kept picking he accidentally pushed the chicken over to the wrong side of the plate, causing it to touch the cucumber. Great. Now he wouldn't be able to eat it and since he never snacked after 8 p.m. he would go to bed hungry. Again. Sighing out loud he put the plate down on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch, rubbing his temple and staring at the flickering images on the TV. Star Trek. Yay.

His roommate adjusted his glasses, having finished his own meal half an hour ago. Leonard had never seen Sheldon in this state before: it had been bad on previous occasions, yes, but while the episode with the twenty-five cats had been somewhat disturbing, this was something he knew couldn't be resolved just by calling Sheldon's mother and have her set him straight. He raked his hand through his dark curls, trying to come up with something to say. He had never imagined that Sheldon being quiet for three days would stress him out like this but truth was he worried about his friend and felt bad for him.

He coughed, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Hey…. Buddy" he tried, hoping this would get the other man's attention. Sheldon remained static though, his blue eyes glazed over as he ignored his roommate. Leonard swallowed, searching his mind for something to say. This wouldn't do: tomorrow they had to be back at work and Sheldon looked like someone had run him over with a pick-up truck.

"Sheldon… you need to eat" Leonard continued, throwing a worried glance at the abandoned plate on the coffee table. He studied his friend and his rugged appearance, so unlike his usual tidy self. Howard and Raj had tried to cheer him up earlier with a game of Monopoly, but had eventually given up and gone back to their respective apartments. And now Leonard was alone with the tall, lanky man-child who looked as if someone had just told him his puppy had died.

"I can't eat. The chicken is touching the lettuce" Sheldon replied thinly.

"I could make you a grilled cheese sandwich?" Leonard offered, hoping this would pique his friend's interest.

"I don't want a grilled cheese sandwich, I want salad."

"Then eat your salad?"

"I told you I can't. The vegetables cannot touch the meat. Besides, it's after 8 p.m. and I never eat after 8. One should never eat within an hour of bedtime" Sheldon informed him, as so many times before, and Leonard sighed deeply. He would offer his friend advice but truth was he wasn't exactly an expert on women himself, and the relationship between Sheldon and Amy was… unique. To put it mildly. He had never really been sure just what it was Sheldon got out of his union with the quirky petite neurobiologist, and he really didn't understand just what Amy saw in him. He wasn't even sure Sheldon liked girls, not in a romantic way at least. But he knew that whatever he shared with Amy it was strong and deep, and her leaving him had transformed the formerly so pompous and stoic genius into an unwashed, unshaved mess who had to be dragged out of bed in the mornings.

"Then what can you do Sheldon? Sooner or later you will need to talk to Amy, if only to sign that stupid contract. You need to take a shower. And shave for goodness sake" Leonard let out desperately, feeling sure he would go insane if Sheldon remained like this much longer. As much as the man drove him crazy with his endless rants and lectures, his silence was even more unsettling.

"You seem to be under the impression that I'm being driven mad by Amy's decision to terminate our relationship. I assure you I am perfectly fine" Sheldon retorted, turning to look at the shorter man who stared back in disbelief.

"Really?" Leonard snorted, gesturing with his hand at Sheldon's pajama bottoms and Batman t-shirt which he had worn ever since he came home from work on Friday afternoon. "It's Sunday and you haven't had a proper meal since you had dinner at Amy's. You smell."

"Other people deviate from their hygienic routines during the weekends and I don't see you over at their place telling them to wash and shave."

"Other people aren't obsessive compulsive germophobes with clothing rotations and bathroom schedules."

"It's a free country Leonard. Who am I, or you, to dictate how others should lead their lives?" Sheldon lectured, pointing an accusing finger at him. Leonard felt the anger bubble up within him, and he desperately tried to calm down. Sheldon was sad, he reminded himself. There was no point in telling him what a stubborn jerk he was: he would clam up and Leonard would just be frustrated, and to be honest Sheldon had put up with him numerous times when he had been sad over Penny so it was only right that he returned the favor.

"Look, Sheldon..." he begun, trying to reach out to the other man, "I know you're upset. I'm really sorry things didn't work out between you and Amy. But don't you think you're giving up a little too easily? It's not like you to just… accept things if you believe them to be wrong. Shouldn't you try to call her and discuss this? Maybe get some answers?" he continued, shooting off what he hoped was a comforting smile in Sheldon's direction.

Something rippled over the lanky physicist's face at this, some kind of expression he had never seen before, and for some reason it made Leonard feel all cold inside.

"What should I tell her Leonard? She made it perfectly clear that she doesn't wish to remain in a relationship with me anymore. What reason is there for me to try to change her mind when she so clearly doesn't want me to?" Sheldon asked, raising one of his dark curved eyebrows in question.

"Because you… you…?" Leonard stammered, not quite sure what to say.

"Because I what?" Sheldon challenged, daring him to speak his mind.

"Because you love her" Leonard stated boldly, not quite believing he was sitting in his living room uttering those words to Sheldon Cooper of all people. Sheldon's eyes widened in surprise at this, and he opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again as he couldn't bring himself to deny it. He pursed his lips angrily, shooting up from the couch and pushing past the armchair where Leonard was sitting, loudly stomping his way down the corridor.

"Where are you going?" Leonard called out after him, his voice cracking at the last syllable. Sheldon stopped dead in his tracks, turning around to look at his baffled roommate.

"Since it has been pointed out to me that I smell, I'm going to take a shower! I hope you're happy now!" he shouted, barely stopping himself from stomping his foot for emphasis like a three year old.

"Very! Brush your teeth while you're at it!" Leonard called back angrily, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine!" Sheldon snapped.

"Fine!" Leonard hissed, turning around to let the other man know he was ignoring him from now on. Sheldon turned on his heel, covering the last few feet of the hallway and tearing up the bathroom door, slamming it behind him loudly.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid Leonard" he muttered under his breath as he yanked off his t-shirt and threw it in the hamper. "Silly woman" he continued as he pulled off his pajama bottoms and briefs, discarding them much like he had his t-shirt. He recoiled at the sight of himself in the mirror as he made his way to the bathtub, looking away as not to face the horrible truth. He had never looked so bad before, not even that time when he had caught pneumonia and had to spend a month in bed. How was it possible? It had only been three days.

He swung one of his long legs over the edge of the bathtub, shrieking as he turned the faucets and a cold spray of water hit his face and stomach. He held out his hand to check the temperature, easing under the spray when it finally turned warm enough: normally he would have used a thermometer to ensure the temperature was just to his liking but right now he didn't care. He had been unwilling to admit that Leonard was right but he did smell and the thought of all the germs parading over his body was starting to take its toll on him. The somewhat battered physicist reached for his shower gel, squirting out a healthy amount into the palm of his hand, and sighed with relief as the pleasant scent reached his nostrils. Oh, this felt so right. The lather slid over his skin, cleansing him, and he moved his hands in long languid strokes over his arms and legs. He quite enjoyed this sensual experience, something he had been careful not to mention to Amy. He didn't want to give her any ideas. Not that it mattered now that she had left him.

He groaned out loud at this thought, the events of that night coming back to him with full force. He had feared that she would one day give up on him, but he had never believed that she would actually do it. They were so much alike, so close, even to the point of finishing each other's sentences. He had recently come to realize that what he felt for her could only be described with one word, and he had been surprised to find that he was completely comfortable with this conclusion. But Leonard saying it out loud had hurt so badly, knowing that she didn't feel the same. She was sick of him, done with him. And as much as he hated to admit it he couldn't really blame her.

Sheldon leaned back against the cold tiles, closing his eyes for a second. He cupped himself between his legs, briefly debating whether he should pleasure himself or not. Maybe the endorphins would make him feel better, help him sleep, ease the pain. He felt slightly pathetic, standing there naked holding his genitals. He let go then, once again groaning out load. Stupid, stupid Amy!

"This won't do" he mumbled as he turned off the faucets and stepped out of the bathtub. "This just won't do."